By Jake Donovan

Undefeated 140 lb. star Tim Bradley is eager to return to the ring as he faces Joel Casamayor on the undercard of the November 12 pay-per-view event, headlined by the third fight between Manny Pacquiao and Juan Manuel Marquez.

For Bradley, it will mark his first fight since signing with Top Rank this past summer, as well as his first time in the ring since late January, when he outpointed Devon Alexander in their clash of unbeaten fighters.

The Californian has since endured a layoff, dates in court and ultimately a promotional change while watching the best of the rest in his division remain active. Chief among the opportunities missed was a summer showdown with Amir Khan, which Bradley rejected while riding out the remainder of his contract with co-promoters Gary Shaw Productions and Thompson Boxing.

He and his handlers knew that sitting out for an extended period of time would squander momentum in his career as well as open himself up to criticism. It was a risk they were willing to take, and one they believe has already reaped major benefits.

“Criticism doesn’t pay the bills,” Bradley noted when asked to speak on the subject during a media conference call. “I know a lot of people had a lot to say, but I believe in my team. My manager Cameron Dunkin believes that I can get in there and win fights with the best fighters in the world, and I have faith in Cameron to make that happen.”

Team Bradley felt that a change in promoters was needed in order to make that happen, and to advance to the superstar level, rather than wander around unrecognized in the public eye.

“I knew he needed to be with Top Rank,” said Dunkin, who is celebrated by many for having the best eye for talent within the sport. Bradley hired Dunkin as his manager shortly after his knockout win-turned no-contest against Nate Campbell in August ’09.

He has fought three times since then, all against undefeated opposition, but in front of sparse crowds and limited mainstream exposure. It was felt by all within Bradley’s camp that any fighter with similar credentials would be a boxing superstar by now, which brought on the decision to make the change, even at the risk of sitting on the sidelines for most of the year.

“Top Rank is the best promoter in the sport,” Dunkin notes from a first-hand perspective, as a number of his fighters have served under the Vegas-based promotional banner through the years. “I took a lot of bashing for Timmy sitting out as long as he did, but he’s with the right promoter.”

Bradley is in full agreement, and is pleased with the immediate results that came with the switch.

“We all sat down and saw what direction our career needed to go in, and agreed that our career was heading in the wrong direction at the time. The other direction was the right one so we made changes.”

His officially becoming part of the Top Rank family involved an extensive court battle, which was resolved but didn’t exactly involve a clean break from his old promoters. Nevertheless, he’s anxious to focus less on the business side of things and more on what awaits him in November, a fight he views as his biggest stage to date.

“We made the right choice,” Bradley insists. “I never had the opportunity to fight on a huge major show like this. We just signed with Top Rank two months ago and I’m already fighting on a card with Manny Pacquiao. We made the right decision.”

It was a decision that Top Rank waited more than a year before executing but couldn’t be more pleased with their most recent signee, and the potential they see in him.

“The first time I really paid attention to Tim was when he fought Lamont Peterson, who was our guy at the time,” recalls Hall-of-Fame promoter Bob Arum of their December ’09 showdown between unbeatens, in which Bradley scored two knockdowns en route to a wide decision. “The way Bradley outclassed Peterson really caught my attention, as did his demeanor afterward.
 
“He was in my wheelhouse, but he was fighting for another promoter. We don’t interfere with other promoters. Once his contract ended, we contacted Cameron and signed him. He has a very pleasing personality and we believe he can be a big star in the sport.”

All that’s needed is the right push, which – according to Bradley – began the moment a court of law upheld his contract with his new promoter.

“I’ve never gotten that type of crossover push from my previous promoters. I’m with Top Rank now and I know they’ll bring me to that next level.”

Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/JakeNDaBox or submit questions/comments to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com .

Tags: Timothy Bradley